Frank Gevurtz, Distinguished Professor of Law and Director, Pacific McGeorge Global Center for Business and Development, presenting at this year's Annual Global Symposium.

Pacific McGeorge's Annual Global Symposium, held on March 1, 2013 in Northwest Hall, featured panels of leading experts delving into transnational securities and regulatory litigation issues that arose in the aftermath of Morrison v. National Australia Bank.Frank Gevurtz, Distinguished Professor of Law and co-director of the Pacific McGeorge Global Center for Business & Development, organized and directed the symposium.

After opening remarks by Dean Francis J. Mootz III, Professor Gevurtz led off the conference with a presentation entitled "The Aftermath of Morrison: Issues Presented." The first panel took a comparative look at global collective actions in the aftermath of Morrison. Richard Buxbaum, professor emeritus from UC Berkeley School of Law, moderated the panel after presenting "A brief comparative look at the development of the private class action of some of its most interesting variations." Marc Steinberg, Radford Professor of Law at SMU Dedman School of Law, spoke about "Private securities litigation from a comparative perspective — Disparate Approaches." Winifred H.A.M. van den Muijsenbergh, senior partner at Loyens & Loeff, Rotterdam, Netherlands, discussed "Recent developments in The Netherlands."

Brian Landsberg, Distinguished Professor of Law at Pacific McGeorge, moderated a panel discussion about extraterritoriality of U.S. Laws after Morrison. Vivian Curran, Distinguished Faculty Scholar and professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, presented "Extraterritoriality and Universal Jurisdiction"; William Dodge, professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law, presented "Understanding the presumption against extraterritoriality after Morrison"; and Kenneth Gallant, professor of law at University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law, discussed "Whose law must we obey?" during the panel.

Professor Paul Paton, Vice Provost, Director, Ethics Across the Professions Initiative introduced and moderated the final panel of the symposium, which examined transnational securities enforcement after Morrison. Katherine Florey, professor of law from UC Davis School of Law, presented "The Missing Piece: What's the role of state law in disputes with foreign elements?"; and Marco Ventoruzzo, professor of law from both Penn State Dickinson School of Law and Boccini University in Milan, Italy, and Director of the Max Planck Institute for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law in Luxembourg, presented "Why the Morrison test doesn't work."

The Pacific McGeorge Global Center for Business & Development organized the symposium as the first of a two-part, two-location examination of these issues from both a United States and a European perspective undertaken in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law. The second session on March 25, organized by the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg, will focus on European developments dealing with cross-border collective actions. Papers presented at the event may be published in a future edition of the Pacific McGeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal.